Footsteps
by D.D. Darcy
Summary: The team ends up in a deadly labyrinth.


Footsteps 

Footsteps by 

**D.D. Darcy**

  


  
**TITLE:** Footsteps  
**AUTHOR:** D.D. Darcy  
**EMAIL:** siamkatze_33@yahoo.com  
**DATE:** finished January 10, 2001  
**ARCHIVE:** Yes to Heliopolis, Stargatefan and Fanfiction.net; please link to http://www.geocities.com/siamkatze_33/fanfic/footsteps.html (all others please ask)  
**CATEGORY:** action/adventure, angst  
**SPOILERS:** tiny spoilers for Thor's Hammer  
**SEASON/SEQUEL INFO:** season 2  
**RATING:** PG  
**CONTENT WARNING:** some swear words  
**SUMMARY:** The team ends up in a deadly labyrinth.  
**DISCLAIMER:** Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/ Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story was written for entertainment purposes only and no money was made from this. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without permission of the author.  
**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Apologies in advance for anything you don't understand. English is not my first language! Feedback (positive or negative) is welcome, flames will be ignored. Please put "To D.D. Darcy" in the subject line if you want to email me. Thanks to Siamkatze for betaing and translating. Thanks to Chrys for help with the language!  
  


* * *

  
"Doesn't look very crowded 'round here," said Jack.  
  
A quick glance through the round room where the blue shimmering of the Stargate just disappeared, confirmed the pictures the MALP had transmitted earlier. There were no living creatures in sight.  
  
"There must be people living here." Daniel pointed at a bunch of flowers lying in front of one of the many doors that were leading out of the Stargate room.  
  
Sam crossed the gate room with a few steps and examined the flowers. Then she turned around to Jack.   
  
"The flowers look fresh, Colonel, maybe two hours old. Someone must have been here this morning."  
  
In the meantime Jack and Teal'c had started to open the doors on the other side of the room. Most of them were locked, but the ones that were open led to empty rooms or long corridors.   
  
"They could use an interior decorator here," Jack muttered.  
  
Eventually he arrived at the door with the flowers and gave them a slight push with his foot.  
  
"Why should somebody lay down flowers here?"  
  
"No idea, Colonel."  
  
"I think we should accept this invitation." Jack opened the door, alert and with his gun ready to fire, as he had done with the other doors. He looked at a narrow passage. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c followed Jack, who had stopped on the threshold of a second door at the end of the corridor which led into a small room. This room was empty except for a few signs on the sidewalls and a large painting that covered the whole opposite wall. Jack whistled as Daniel slid by and eyed the painting with fascination.   
  
"Look at *this*, Jack!"  
  
"I'm already doing that." Jack grinned.   
  
Sam giggled.  
  
"Uh... Jack, I don't mean... I wanted to say, this artwork... it combines ancient Egyptian and early Greek elements. This is a very unusual mixture. These two periods..."  
  
"Daniel!"  
  
"Uh... yeah?"  
  
"No lecture, please. The theme of the picture is interesting enough."  
  
Daniel made a grimace. "I can tell that, Jack. She is a pleasure to look at."  
  
"At least she doesn't hide much," Sam added.  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't look that closely, Daniel," advised Jack. "Women cause nothing but trouble."  
  
"Ahem!"  
  
"Uhm... of course I mean only *those* kind of women, Carter."  
  
"Of course, Sir..."  
  
Teal'c was the only one who didn't comment on the picture. He took a step to the left to take a closer look at the symbols on the wall. The others walked slowly into the middle of the room, looking at the woman with the long black hair, the Egyptian-looking head jewelry, the fine lines of the face and the long dress that was, in old Greek tradition, low-cut and showed very much of her chest.  
  
"They don't seem to have a furniture industry here," Jack mumbled. "Empty rooms everywhere." He was standing in the middle of the room with his team and looked around once more. "Daniel, can you make something of this?" He waved his free hand at the symbols.  
  
Daniel studied the walls closely. "Hm, yeah... I think they are --"  
  
"This could be --" Teal'c said at the same moment, but none of them could finish his sentence.  
  
All of a sudden, the floor moved and tilted to one side.   
  
"Damn!" Jack exclaimed as they slid down into the darkness that appeared below them. The crash on the ground was hard and painful, and before they were able to move, the opening above them closed and left them in absolute darkness.  
  
"Hey! Keep your hands off!"  
  
"Oh, sorry Sam," Daniel apologized. "It's so damn dark here."  
  
"What the hell was that?" Jack growled and tried to pull his arm out from under Daniel's chest.  
  
"A trapdoor," Teal'c commented helpfully and switched his flashlight on.   
  
"Thank you, Teal'c, I didn't notice that."  
  
Sam searched for her weapon, and Daniel sat on the floor and clutched his head, still a bit dazed.   
  
Jack switched on his flashlight as well, and as he tried to make out something in the poor light, he asked, "Anybody injured?"  
  
"I am fine, O'Neill," said Teal'c.  
  
"Just a few bruises," Sam answered.   
  
"Daniel?"  
  
"I guess I'll get a huge bump," Daniel mumbled and rubbed his forehead. Jack pointed his light at him and examined the spot. Daniel closed his eyes, blinded by the light.   
  
"You could be right, Daniel. An ice bag wouldn't be bad."  
  
"Unfortunately I didn't bring one along."  
  
"Here are your glasses, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c had discovered them in the dirt.  
  
"Oh, thank you, Teal'c." Daniel took the glasses and blew the dust off, grateful that they weren't damaged.  
  
"Okay, guys", Jack said and stood up. "Let's go and find an exit out of this trap."  
  
Sam had already stood up and illuminated the corners.  
  
"Carter, be careful not to fall through another trapdoor."  
  
Daniel struggled on his feet as well, and brushed the dust from his fatigues before he looked around. "Where are we?"  
  
Instead of an answer there was a fine, white substance sprinkling down on them, covering them completely and making them cough.  
  
"Damn, what's that supposed to mean?" Jack gasped and after a few breaths he sank on the ground, and so did his teammates.   
  
*****  
  
Teal'c was the first who woke up in the darkness. He had recovered quickly, as one would have expected. The unusual pressure he felt on his head made him feel for his temples. Carefully he touched the two crystal elements that were put in there, and tried to remove them, but without success. He noticed that he still had all of his equipment when he automatically searched for his flashlight.  
  
Teal'c sat up, examined the environment and saw that this was not the room under the trapdoor where they had been earlier. He realized he had been separated from the others. His attempt to contact the others over the radio was unsuccessful, and he didn't get an answer to his calling. The door at the end of the narrow corridor was closed and couldn't be opened; it didn't even have a handle. Teal'c didn't understand why he had been separated from the others, locked up in this dungeon -- or whatever it was -- and yet had been left with his entire equipment, even his weapons. This didn't make any sense. If there was a reason he wasn't able to see it.   
  
He tried to get the door open by pushing against it, but it didn't move an inch. He walked down the hallway until he was a safe distance away, and activated his staff weapon. The door seemed to be made of solid metal, but it wouldn't be able to take an energy blast. He aimed and tried to fire, but nothing happened. The second and third try were also in vain, and the zat gun refused to work as well. Teal'c gave up. Since his weapons didn't work here, for whatever reason, he had to find another way out.   
  
His lamp lighted the other side of the corridor in front of him insufficiently and the light didn't reach the end of the tunnel. He tried again to contact his teammates but still without success. His weapons were useless, and he was unsure about the function of the devices on his head. Teal'c's grip on the staff weapon tightened -- after all he could still use it to hit someone -- and headed down the long corridor. It was time to look for an exit and for some answers to his questions.   
  
*****  
  
Harsh, bright flashes, that hurt his optic nerves, forced Daniel to close his eyes. He tried to think, to remember, despite his aching head. Where was he? How did he get here? What caused the bright flashes?  
  
He tried to open his eyes again but he didn't see anything except the strobe lights. What had happened? Fragments of images appeared in Daniel's dazed mind; the gate room, the fall through the trapdoor, the white mist -- and nothing else. He must have been unconscious.  
  
Now he was lying on the floor, the pain throbbing in his head. He ran his hands through his hair unconsciously, touched the glasses and... he froze in movement. What was that? The shock had a sobering effect; he sat up abruptly. His fingers felt two round pieces that couldn't be removed. He groaned. "Oh boy..."  
  
Somebody had put them on his temples. But why? And who? He forced his eyes open although the flashes were painful. Still, he couldn't recognize his surroundings. He closed his eyes in agony. He should get away from here as fast as possible.  
  
He struggled to his feet. His hands touched a wall, slid along, found a corner, a different material, metal. A door? Closed. Another corner, another stone wall. And still there were those intensive strobe lights that didn't go away, that he could even notice through closed eyes.   
  
Daniel stumbled further into the tunnel, but he couldn't escape the flashes. Every time he opened his eyes he saw the strobe lights. He quickened his steps. Something drove him away from the spot where he had woken up. For several minutes Daniel staggered along the wall, always keeping contact with one hand, blinded and dizzy, attempting to escape the flashes that seemed to cut him into pieces. Suddenly he lost contact with the wall; the only bit of safety he had was gone. He panicked.   
  
Daniel stopped, briefly opened his eyes, which was as useless as before since he was just blinded again, and took two steps backward. He felt the cold stones of the wall and sighed in relief. This time he was more careful as he groped along the wall. His fingers found a vertical edge, and Daniel followed the hallway around the corner.   
  
As if cut off, the feeling of threat, which had driven Daniel this far, ended. Only now, when he had left the first corridor, did Daniel realize that he hadn't been able to think straight since waking up. His mind had been blocked.  
  
Daniel leaned his back against the wall and took a few deep breaths. The dizziness faded away and he dared to open his eyes. Deep darkness surrounded him, no light, no flashes hurt his eyes. Automatically his hand reached for the flashlight and switched it on; he stopped in his movement, surprised. His gear was still there, and he didn't know why. Who would lock him up here without even taking away his gun? Puzzled, he shook his head and pushed the radio button.   
  
"Jack, Sam, Teal'c? Come in!"  
  
No answer.   
  
He tried a second and a third time, then he yelled: "Jack! Teal'c! Sam!"  
  
Nothing but a faint echo reached his ears. What now?  
  
Daniel risked a glance back into the first tunnel and jerked back as he saw the strobe lights. He shuddered. He wouldn't go back there, he was sure. His lamp lighted the new corridor just for a few meters, but it seemed to be very long.   
  
Daniel tried again to contact his comrades, but without success. He was on his own.   
  
After taking a deep breath he pushed himself off the wall, then decided to follow the corridor to the right, hoping there would be an exit.  
  
****  
  
Half dazed Sam groped on the floor without actually realizing what she was feeling. Cold stone, dust, a smooth gel... Suddenly she was wide awake. She groped around, found the gel in every place she could reach, felt it in her face...  
  
This perception hit her like a shock. Whatever it was that was flowing towards her, it would soon cover her head. And not just her head -- within a few seconds her arms, her legs and her body were surrounded by this slimy jelly, and it was rising higher and higher...  
  
Sam made every effort to get out of the viscous mass, but she just sank in deeper. Or maybe the gel was rising; she couldn't tell. The mass was about to drown her, paralyze her, suffocate her.  
  
Sam made a last desperate attempt to get out, drew a deep breath like a drowning person reaching the surface of the water, gathered all her strength and threw her body forward. Panting, she landed on the hard stone floor, gasped for breath, until she noticed that her legs were still stuck in the slimy jelly and sinking still deeper. She struggled and managed to free herself, then crawled away to get as much distance as possible.   
  
Several meters away she finally stopped to recover her breath, and tried to think clearly. She searched for her flashlight, switched it on and turned around. What she saw made her shudder. The room behind her -- tunnel or cave, she couldn't tell -- was filled with a yellow gel-like mass which was spreading out and approaching her quickly.   
  
Sam swallowed. She was absolutely not interested in finding out what substance this might be. At the moment, escape seemed to be the only thing to do. She jumped to her feet.  
  
Without thinking, Sam raced through the corridors and around the corners, until she came to a dead end. And at this point, she came to her senses.  
  
*****  
  
When Jack opened his eyes he didn't know where he was. The fact that he couldn't see or hear anything didn't help him much, either. The air was humid and he had trouble breathing. He realized quickly that this was certainly not the place where he had landed after the fall through the trapdoor. But where exactly was he?  
  
He switched on his flashlight, but the effect he had expected didn't occur. The lamp cast a dim light, but he still couldn't see anything but thick, billowing, gray fog. Fog? Maybe he was outside. But where? And why? He wouldn't be able to find an explanation if he remained lying on the cold floor. He had to get up and search for answers.  
  
Jack groaned as he sat up and pain shot through his head. He cursed when he found the source of the pain: two small, round devices on his temples. What the hell had happened to him -- and to his team? The use of the radio was unsuccessful, nobody answered. Calling didn't help, either.   
  
He became restless, worried about his teammates. They had been separated, that was certain. But who had done it, and why did they allow him to keep his entire equipment, including MP and zat gun? It didn't make sense. It was time to look around and maybe find a reason behind this.   
  
Jack struggled to his feet, ignoring the pain, and tried to see something through the fog. It was in vain. With outstretched arms he groped around but the billowy fog didn't get thinner no matter in which direction he headed.   
  
The suffocating feeling remained, his movements were slow as if restrained by an invisible force. Like a blind man and unable to take his bearings, Jack tried to make his way through the white substance until he felt like walking through cotton wool. The feeling disappeared when his hands touched a wall, which he could only see when his face was a few centimeters away. A wall usually belonged to a building or, when it was carved out of rocks like this one, to a cave. At least this was a clue. Hoping to find another one, he began to walk, his hand keeping contact to the wall. So he made his way in the diffuse light of his lamp, slowly and step by step.   
  
He was worrying about his friends but he still didn't have the faintest idea of what had happened to them. All he could remember was the fall and the gas that had caused his unconsciousness.   
  
'Not a lot of clues, Jack. Think... Didn't you notice something else? Did you miss anything?'  
  
An abrupt change of environment stopped his thoughts. Instead of looking at opaque fog he saw a brick wall and a corridor that disappeared left and right into the darkness. So he wasn't outside but, judging from the look of the wall, in an underground vault, cellar, catacombs or whatever. At least no more cotton wool fog, but instead air that didn't make every breath painful. Grateful, Jack took a few deep breaths. The slight musty smell didn't bother him at all.   
  
The compact white wall of fog lay behind him. Jack could still see it, but its influence seemed to have vanished, he felt free, his movements were normal again. What now?  
  
"Carter! Teal'c! Daniel! Can anybody of you hear me?"  
  
The radio still didn't work. So the fog apparently hadn't caused the malfunction. Jack called out loud, listening intently for an answer. Nothing. Was there just a faint echo of his own voice or did he really hear a barely audible voice? He called again. This time he was sure that there was no reaction. He could have heard the proverbial pin drop.  
  
Anyway, he had to start his search somewhere, and the left hallway, where he thought he had heard something, was as good as the right one. Jack tightened his grip on the rifle and moved.  
  
*****  
  
Daniel followed the corridor, turned left or right into junctions of the tunnel, and realized after a short time that he would never find his way back, even if he wanted to, which wasn't the case right now. He remembered the flashing lights pretty well. The corridors looked all alike, and all the dead ends and junctions only added to his confusion. Daniel couldn't keep track of how often he had turned back or run in circles. Following a straight line was impossible. At a junction he stopped and tried again to call his colleagues by shouting and by trying once again to get the radio to work. No reaction. He decided to walk straight ahead this time. It didn't really matter anyway.   
  
Daniel just walked around a corner as he felt his feet slip away. He couldn't see which substance made the floor slippery because he suddenly ended up in a pool of water. It wasn't very deep, but since he had landed on his back like a bug, it was difficult not to swallow too much water. Struggling, Daniel managed to climb out of the pit. Dripping wet, he stood on the other side. There was not that much water in the pool, but it was enough to wet him to the skin. Damn! That was all he wanted, running through the hallways soaking wet. The good thing about this accident was that he was now leaving a trail of water behind, which would prevent that he walked the same way twice.   
  
Daniel pushed his wet hair back, so that the water didn't run into his eyes, and walked on.  
  
*****  
  
Leaning her back against the wall, Sam tried to think reasonably. The feeling of panic was gone, and she couldn't tell why she had lost her head. Normally she would not have reacted this way. But she was sure she had felt the gel on her body -- why was there no trace left? Her clothes were completely dry. She had no explanation for this. And -- this was even more alarming -- why was she alone? Where did her friends go? Where was she, and why was her equipment complete? Complete, but part of it didn't work, as she found out when she tried to use the radio. What was going on here?  
  
Confused, she frowned, and winced as the movement made her feel the two pieces on her temples. Her hands jerked up and felt the two crystals. They were put in firmly and couldn't be removed by hand. Someone had put them in... but who? And what was their function?  
  
No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't come up with an answer. There was only one alternative: finding an exit from this maze quickly. She couldn't stand here and rack her brains for ages. God knew what had happened to her teammates. Without a moment's hesitation, she began to search for a way out.  
  
*****  
  
Teal'c wandered through the endless corridors, ended up in blind alleys and had to go back. There were no other noises besides his own footsteps. Just for once he thought he had heard Daniel's voice, calling his name. Teal'c listened intently.   
  
"Daniel Jackson, if you are here make yourself heard!"  
  
Nothing. No answer. But Teal'c was sure that the voice had been behind him, so he turned around and walked the way back.   
  
*****  
  
Some rattle of chains, or at least wet walls, or maybe the hollow groaning of long forgotten prisoners were missing to complete the image of an underground dungeon from the middle ages. Jack's light ran over the rough wall in one of the many corridors he had walked through. Rock, not a brick wall as before. Jack noticed the difference, but he wasn't able to find out what this could mean for him. Out of the blue, or rather from the ceiling, a net fell on Jack and knocked him to the floor.   
  
"Damn!"  
  
His effort to free himself only produced the opposite effect. Within seconds Jack got entangled and could hardly move. With supreme effort and various contortions of his body he finally managed to reach his knife with his fingertips. Centimeter by centimeter, he moved his hand along the knife-handle until he could finally get hold of it and pulled the knife out.   
  
Cutting the net was hard, too, and a bit dangerous since the net tied Jack's arms to his body and he had to be damn careful not to hurt himself. And the material was fairly strong and not easy to damage. Jack was rolling on the floor for a few minutes until he could finally free himself. Despite the cool air he was sweating heavily as he got up and gave the net an angry kick. He hoped that there were no more surprises waiting for him. He had to be more careful. Maybe there was a guy with a gun big enough to shoot an elephant standing behind the next corner, wanting to practice for big-game hunt.  
  
*****  
  
Daniel continued his walk through the labyrinth. By now he was totally confused. Junctions, corridors leading away left or right, corners, long straight hallways -- and they all looked alike. The only difference was the material of the walls -- bricks or carved stone. And there was one more difference, which Daniel didn't want to remember at all.   
  
It had happened in one of the brick wall parts. Without any warning Daniel ran into a giant spider web. His flashlight didn't show it or maybe he just failed to notice it, but all of the sudden he felt that sticky web all over his face. And this one was not the only one. As he turned around to free himself he ran into more.   
  
Daniel had a lot of experience with spiders and their webs from his digs, and he wasn't hypersensitive, but too much was too much. This was worse than anything he had ever come across. There must be thousands of spiders here, which had woven their webs for years and years. No matter which way he turned or how many of the webs he destroyed, everywhere he found himself touching the sticky threads and the spiders which were part of them, of course. He had to wipe them off his clothes, his hair, had them on his hands, his collar... For several minutes Daniel had to struggle against the spiders with growing disgust, until there were no more in front of him.  
  
And none of them behind. Relieved, he turned his head to make sure that he had reached the end of the corridor where the spiders had been and was taken aback by what he saw in the dim light of his lamp. The area where he had struggled against nasty creatures just a few moments ago was now empty and clean. He couldn't see one single spider. Daniel walked a few steps back into the tunnel, incredulous, to examine that part of the way. Not the slightest trace of a spider or a web. What was going on here? A shiver ran down his spine.  
  
Without a moment's hesitation Daniel continued to walk, trying to get distance between himself and that corridor. While he was walking, Daniel thought about the phenomenon. He had felt the spiders crawl on his skin, had felt the webs on his face. He just couldn't have imagined everything. Or could he? Was he hallucinating? But why? He had no temperature, but he was shivering from the cold caused by the wet uniform. He had to move faster to warm himself up.  
  
The devices! Daniel stopped as he remembered the two little crystals at his temples. Could they have something to do with the spiders? Could they make him hallucinate? He felt his mind go dizzy, the search for answers seemed to be unimportant, but he wasn't really aware of the change.   
  
The next thing Daniel remembered was ending up in yet another dead end, a round cave. Sighing, he turned around to walk back to the previous tunnel -- but there was no tunnel. Instead of a corridor he saw nothing but massive rock. No, not a massive wall, he corrected himself quickly. What he saw let him forget that he had felt cold just a few seconds ago. Now he suddenly felt very hot. His heart jumped up into his throat and continued to throb with about 300 beats per minute.  
  
The tunnel he had just walked through was almost completely filled with a rock boulder. A boulder that was moving.   
  
*****  
  
Jack had been walking for several minutes when he noticed that he was walking on the right side of the tunnel. He moved to the middle of the hallway -- and after a few seconds he found himself again on the right side.  
  
Jack stopped. Had he lost control over his movements? Slowly and deliberately he made a few steps in the middle of the corridor. No problem, his feet stepped exactly where he wanted them to step. So everything had just been a product of his over-active imagination. Maybe his mind had been distracted or dazed by the headache, and the noise he was hearing -- a high, screeching tone straining every nerve -- didn't make him feel any better. He had to walk on.   
  
One turn into the hallway to the right, two turns left, and Jack stopped again. It had happened again. Just as before he had found himself rubbing along the wall with his shoulder. And he still didn't know why. What the hell was going on?  
  
He looked back. There was something wrong with his eyes. The familiar shape of the hallways blurred, as if he was looking through frosty glass. He felt the temperature rising. First it was warm. Then he felt the heat surge against him like a wave that took his breath away. He whirled around and was able to save himself just in time by leaping away from where he had been. Flames were blazing up just a few centimeters away from his boots. A large part of the hallway was already filled with fire, and the heat became unbearable. Step by step, Jack fell back. More flames were following his steps.   
  
He couldn't understand what exactly was burning there. It looked like there was gas escaping from tiny openings in the floor that had caught fire. He wasn't exactly keen about finding out the source of the flames. Something else had attracted his attention. Behind the flames he saw a figure, blurred by the heat -- a Jaffa, complete with armor, staff weapon and a closed helmet.   
  
Jack wasn't able to recognize which kind of Jaffa he was dealing with. However, he could clearly see that this Jaffa was aiming his staff weapon at him, and he didn't negotiate with a Jaffa doing that.   
  
Jack grabbed his rifle and yelled with pain as the hot metal burned his fingers. He jerked his hands away and stared at his red-hot weapon, not believing what he saw. He could feel the heat through his uniform. Automatically, he continued to walk backwards because there were more and more flames blazing up in front of him. Did they cause his weapon to glow?  
  
The distasteful smell of burned clothes reached his nose. He didn't think about it any longer. With aching hands he grabbed the strap of the rifle and dropped it before it could set his clothes on fire. Still walking backwards, Jack kept an eye on the Jaffa, who was still aiming his staff weapon at him.   
  
The few seconds necessary for this action seemed like minutes to him. Why didn't the Jaffa shoot? Didn't he see that his victim was defenseless? Was it difficult for him so see through his helmet and the blaze?  
  
Jack decided not to find out. A quick escape seemed to be much more desirable to him. Besides, the air was almost unbreathable and his lungs where burning with every breath he took.  
  
He turned around and started to run. The thought that every step could be his last one, made him run even faster. Would he be able to reach the next intersection before the energy blast from the staff weapon burned a hole into his back?  
  
Without wasting time with looking back, Jack raced through the long corridor, made a sharp turn at the next intersection and stopped after a few steps. If the Jaffa didn't follow him through the fire he was safe.   
  
Noiselessly he sneaked back to the corner. A quick look back couldn't hurt. With utmost caution he glanced around the corner and shrank back. The entire corridor was a sea of flames. The Jaffa was gone. If he had actually followed him he would be a mass of molten metal now. Of course there could be other ways he could have taken. He could meet him again. Great.  
  
Jack didn't have the time to look forward to the meeting since the flames reached his part of the corridor. He jumped back. Whatever it was that controlled the flames, it had found him and if he didn't get away from here very fast he would be toasted alive.   
  
The labyrinth had quite a lot of corners and branches, and Jack had the feeling he knew many of them by the time he stopped behind a corner, gasping for air and dripping with sweat. He cast a glance back. Every time he had done that before, he had seen the fire. The flames had chased him mercilessly and they had made breathing almost impossible, no matter in which direction he had turned. It was as if they were following him on purpose.   
  
Now Jack expected again to see the fire, still hoping to get some time to pause for a breath. He couldn't believe his eyes.   
  
The corridor, which he had just came from, was dark and empty. He couldn't find the slightest trace that there had been a fire. The air was cool and slightly musty, and there was no heat at all, not even gas.   
  
Had he imagined all of this? Jack was absolutely sure that he had seen and felt the flames. He had heard the 'whoosh' as they shot out of the ground, he had burned his hands at the red-hot weapon, had felt the pain in his hands all the time...  
  
Jack raised his hands to the light of his lamp, expecting to see blisters or at least redness on his skin, but there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Disconcerted, Jack stared at the unhurt skin of his hands. No injury, no pain, nothing. He winced. Had he gone insane? Did that fire exist only in his imagination? And the flight? No, his flight was real, that was for sure. It was proven by the sweat running down his face and his lungs still heaving. And the rest of it?  
  
Jack lowered his hands slowly and stood for a few seconds, motionless. Then he glanced back around the corner once more. Darkness and coldness. What did he expect? Puzzled, he shook his head. Jack, now you're going crazy. You're running away from a figment of your imagination.  
  
With his back leaned against the wall Jack tried to calm his breath and understand that fire-thing. And what about the Jaffa he had seen? Or believed he had seen?  
  
But the only certain result he found at last was that he had lost his gun as well as his bearings. Completely.  
  
The only pleasing thing was that his headache was getting better and that unnerving screeching tone had vanished. But Jack's relief wasn't deep. Anytime something worse could happen.  
  
*****  
  
Teal'c, on his search for Daniel, had almost walked back the whole way to his starting point. At least as far as he could remember. Even for him as a very well trained Jaffa it was difficult not to lose track. When he had lighted all corridors he had passed and got no answer to his callings, he decided to go and search in a different section. He had no clues at all, and it didn't matter where he continued.   
  
Teal'c made his way through the labyrinth patiently and tried to keep track of every direction he was led to. Suddenly, a motion at the end of the long hallway he was walking down attracted his attention. His light didn't reach the far end, but he was almost sure that the shadowy figure turning around the corner was Captain Carter.  
  
"Captain Carter!"  
  
Teal'c's voice echoed through the tunnel while he ran towards the direction where the person had vanished. At the corner he stopped again, listening, but he heard no answer. And he couldn't see anybody, either. As quickly as possible Teal'c searched the area, all the time calling and listening. He had no success. If Carter actually had been here she had disappeared very quickly into one of the many corridors. It was easy to pass by without seeing each other but Teal'c didn't understand why she hadn't reacted to his calling. Unless he was wrong and he hadn't seen her at all.  
  
*****  
  
Sam shone her flashlight into every corridor she passed by and tried to keep walking in one direction which was almost impossible in this confusing maze. So it didn't take long until she was lost. Soon Sam guessed that she was wandering alone around here, because nobody responded to her periodical shouts. And as if that wasn't enough, Sam had gone into a hallway where the ground was covered with white flakes that whirled up with every footstep.  
  
Sam turned back. She would rather look for another corridor, because walking in this one was going to be bad. The flakes flew higher which each step she took, and Sam got the feeling that they were rising -- like water. The ground was soon covered with the white stuff knee-high. The flakes whirled all around her like a snowstorm, making her vision poor.  
  
Sam wasn't able to recognize the material the flakes were made of, or where they were coming from. It didn't matter in which direction she turned, the flake-flurry was getting stronger. Sam struggled forward, half blind because her lamp wasn't able to light the tight mass she was surrounded with. She had to hold one arm against her face and breathe under the cover of her sleeve to protect herself from getting suffocated by the flakes. A few of them had already caused a coughing fit.  
  
Accidentally -- she wasn't able to see anything by that time -- Sam's hand felt an edge and she turned around the corner, hoping the flake-flurry would be limited to this particular corridor. But her hope was not fulfilled. Nothing changed but the intensity. It was getting worse. Sam waded through the white stuff up to her hip. Slowly but steadily panic was rising inside her in the same rate the surface of the flakes rose higher and higher. The material was light and soft and she could still walk through it. But what if it rose above her head? It was already difficult for her to breathe without inhaling the flakes. What if she stumbled and fell...? Sam had to swallow and force herself to calm down. Panic would be the last thing she could use right now.  
  
Step by step Sam waded forward, sat her feet very carefully on the ground to avoid slipping --   
  
And felt all of the sudden her legs being pulled away by something unknown. Sam lost her balance, fell on her back, her arms automatically stretched out to find a hold, but it was in vain. At least she had the presence of mind to close her mouth and hold her breath. The meter-thick mass of white flakes closed over her. It grew dark.  
  
Sam felt that she was dragged away, felt the flakes change into something different. She was thrown around, couldn't distinguish top and bottom anymore. It took several seconds until Sam could find where she was now. For a short time her head was free, she could breathe and open her eyes before she was thrown under again. Cold water closed over her and her body was tossed through rapids. The rocks in the water caused her painful bruises; the whirls pulled her under the water so she had to struggle to breathe at all. Kicking hard and using her arms as fast as she could, Sam managed to get to the surface several times -- but she was washed over and crashed into the rocks again and again. Sam was a good swimmer but for endless minutes she fought for her life, all the time fearing that her head would hit one of the rocks. But this fear changed to a bigger one as she saw where the torrent of water was carrying her to, and that she had no chance to escape.  
  
Although Sam threw herself against the waves with every bit of her remaining strength and tried to reach the bank, she didn't succeed. Her own yell rang in her ears as she fell down the waterfall, the enormous power of the water squeezing the air out of her lungs and pressing her down several meters under the surface when she finally arrived at the bottom -- and Sam found herself gasping for breath and lying on her belly on the hard floor of a dark hallway.  
  
*****  
  
Stiff with fear, Daniel just stood there for a few seconds and stared at the giant stone that moved slowly but constantly towards him.  
  
Then his survival instinct set in and he threw himself against the rock to stop its motion. Daniel's hands slid off the surface when he pressed against the rotating stone with all his strength, but he was pushed back more and more. Whatever it was that moved the stone was stronger than him. There was no escape. Daniel was shoved back step by step, his boots slid on the smooth ground until he almost made contact with the wall behind him. There was only one option left.   
  
His hands and his back pressed on the wall behind him, he pressed his feet against the slowly rotating stone in front of him. Maybe he could resist better now than when he was only standing on the floor.  
  
Unfortunately it wasn't enough. The rock in front of him moved steadily until Daniel had the feeling that his legs would break any moment. Shivering with exhaustion and soaked with sweat, Daniel finally gave up. Hot and cold shivers ran down his spine as he stood, his back pressed hard to the wall, desperately trying to make himself as thin as possible. The ugly grinding noise that accompanied the movement of the stone seemed to cut through his head like saw-blades. He felt the vibration of the movement in his body, saw the rock coming closer and closer, just a few centimeters in front of his face.  
  
Stiff with horror, Daniel stared ahead, his eyes wide open, forbidding his mind to imagine how he would die. His breathing stopped, his blood seemed to freeze in his veins. And the stone rotated and rotated and rotated...  
  
Later he wasn't able to tell how long he had stared at the rock like hypnotized until he had realized that it didn't come closer anymore. It still rotated, yes, but the distance was getting larger. Instead of crushing him to the wall, it moved back. Daniel didn't know if he could trust his eyes. He was so sure that he wouldn't survive this, was so sure that he wouldn't leave this trap alive, and now...  
  
His knees buckling and his whole body shivering, Daniel slid down the wall that might have been his end. Deeply shocked, he stared at the stone, which rotated slowly backwards and increased the distance to him until it disappeared to one side at the end of the tunnel. The cave Daniel sat in now showed the usual picture: blank walls, dim light, the intersection at the end... nothing reminding of the terrible thing that happened a short time ago.  
  
Daniel was still gasping, his heart beating twice as fast as normal, and his mind still was almost unable to understand the new situation. But suddenly, with a kind of 'click', everything changed. He realized that the threat was gone. Daniel jumped on his feet. Ignoring his weak knees, he ran out of this cave as fast as he could, driven by panic and the fear that the rock might come back and close the opening again. Without thinking about the direction, Daniel followed the light of his lamp until he tumbled against a wall, panting heavily. He couldn't go any further although he was still scared by the experience he had gone through. Trembling, he slid down the wall, his head lolled back. Totally exhausted as he was, his mind refused to work. With his eyes closed he listened to his own breath and the hollow pounding in his ears. It took several minutes until he realized that this drum which was thumping so loud was his own heart -- his heart beating so hard he thought it would fall to pieces.   
  
*****  
  
Teal'c hesitated. Dark stains on the floor called his attention. He took the flashlight in his hand and went down on one knee to examine this them. The stains on the dusty ground were wet. With one finger Teal'c touched one of them and smelled. No blood. He was sure about that. Maybe water?  
  
Teal'c got up and tracked the line of drops around some corners until he stopped in one of the corridors. Extended between the walls there was a water-basin. He couldn't see how deep it was, but it stretched out for three meters, at least. Teal'c turned around. He wanted to look for a parallel corridor to get to the other side of the basin and see if the line of drops would continue.  
  
Teal'c tried several possible ways, but soon found out that they all lead him into wrong directions. So he went back to the basin. Using his staff weapon to check out the depth of the water he found out that he could walk through easily. Carefully, because he didn't know if the ground was slippery, Teal'c waded through the water. His trousers became wet up to the knees but he reached the other end of the basin safely. Thoroughly he searched the ground, but it was dry. This meant that the person who had caused the drops had stepped into the water on this side and walked on to the direction Teal'c had just come from. Teal'c decided to follow the track and waded back through the water.  
  
*****  
  
Much more careful than before -- he didn't trust that Jaffa-phenomenon at all and was almost unarmed without his zat gun working -- Jack walked through the labyrinth. The hollow noise caused by his boots seemed to be much too loud to him. He peered around every corner suspiciously before he entered a new corridor. He didn't want to be surprised by something like the fire again. To Jack these caves appeared a bit creepy. The whole atmosphere was like... well, haunted wasn't the right word, but it described Jacks feelings quite well. He still couldn't explain why the hell he was running around down here -- where ever "here" was.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted immediately as he saw way ahead at the other end of the tunnel Teal'c crossing his way in the dim light. It really was about time! At least one member of his teams was here, too.  
  
"Teal'c!"  
  
Disregarding any caution Jack started to run, following Teal'c. Teal'c didn't respond, and he didn't come back out of the corridor, either. Jack couldn't understand why Teal'c didn't hear him but he had to hurry up. He had seen it only like a shadow but it seemed that a giant, cat-alike animal was running after Teal'c, and the Jaffa didn't even notice it.  
  
"Teal'c! Watch your back! Something's following you!"  
  
Jack yelled as loud as he could and accelerated his pace. He reached the branch where he had seen Teal'c. There, in front of him, barely to be seen in the dark, the animal, a big cat, started to leap.  
  
"Teal'c!"  
  
Jack dashed forward, the animal leaped -- and Jack crashed against an invisible wall in full speed. With a cry of pain Jack fell back and in the moment he crashed backwards to the floor he was able to see how the animal buried Teal'c under its body. Then it became too dark to see anything else.  
  
Dazed, Jack shook his head. Then, all of a sudden, he remembered why he had run so fast.  
  
"God", he groaned, staggered to his feet and lighted the corridor in front of him. Empty. Nothing could be seen, absolutely nothing.  
  
"Teal'c!"  
  
Jack yelled again, hitting the barricade that had stopped him so rudely with both fists. This was no glass; this barrier was made of some other material. It was absolutely invisible. And firm. Jack kicked against it with all of his strength, felt the vibration up to his head, but nothing else happened. Unbreakable. Where there's a will, there's not always a way.  
  
Without much hope Jack tried to fire his zat gun on the barrier but as he expected it didn't work. It didn't even activate.  
  
Jack wasted no thoughts on why this barricade had only let Teal'c go through and not him. This was a fact for Carter to examine. He turned around and ran back. He would look for another way to clear up what happened to Teal'c. If that giant cat killed Teal'c... Jack refused to think about that. Surely Teal'c had noticed the animal and fought it. Strong as he was he would have had a chance to win. That he, Jack, didn't see that happen, didn't mean anything. The few seconds he had needed to recover after the crash might have been enough for Teal'c to save himself. Yeah, that was the way it must have happened. In the meantime Teal'c had probably removed the dead animal and disappeared again. Jack was more than willing to believe it. But... why were doubts creeping on him as he turned right to reach the corridor where Teal'c had been? Jack had to make sure about this, even if... He swallowed.  
  
Jack reached the spot where he thought the incident with Teal'c and the animal had happened. But... Jack wasn't too sure. He couldn't see anything on the floor -- no trace of a fight, no footprints, no paw prints, no fur, no blood. Did he come to a wrong spot? Or... did he find the right place and everything had only happened in his imagination? Like that damned thing with the fire?  
  
Jack walked through the corridor from one end to the other without being stopped by an invisible wall. Then he turned around and walked back the same way. Either he was in the wrong place or his mind played a mean trick on him. But that was something he wasn't willing to accept without verification. Immediately, Jack started to search the whole area for traces of a fight.  
  
*****  
  
It was unbelievable. Sam leaned her back against the wall and wasted a few seconds wondering why she was still alive. That she hadn't fallen down a cataract was already clear to her, but she was still panting, and she still felt the bruises she got from being tossed among the rocks. Everything she had gone through was so awfully real. The feeling of suffocating, drowning, the fear of death... And not once during that incident she had thought that, logically seen, it had been impossible to happen at all. Hallucinations. There was no other explanation.  
  
Sam rose, shoving her back along the wall. She'd better look for an exit because she didn't want to suffer any more of those attacks. The terror still made her shiver. Logical explanation or not, all she wanted now was to escape.  
  
This wish made her run through the corridors quickly. She had no idea where she was, so she tried to keep running into one direction, looking down all branches she passed for a short examination. It could only be a matter of method to find an exit.  
  
  
*****  
  
He must have sustained an injury when the boulder had attacked him. Daniel was sure about that. He was physically fit enough to continue walking and search for an exit, but there was something wrong with his head, or more precisely, with his eyes.   
  
With or without glasses, his sight was blurred. The walls of the corridors seemed to move together, then again they seemed to drift apart. The light of his lamp wandered from one side of the tunnel to the other. Or was he the one who wasn't able to walk straight? Daniel stopped and tried to concentrate on setting his steps straight ahead, but after three meters he was again staggering against the wall. The floor was swaying like a ship on rough sea. Daniel leaned against the wall to support himself, a feeling of nausea in his stomach. He felt cold sweat on his forehead and he was shivering in his wet uniform.   
  
'Move on, Daniel, you have to move. Go on. Go on. Go on.'  
  
He couldn't allow himself to stop, he had to move to keep his body warm, or else he was in danger of collapsing and not being able to stand up again. Repeating the words in his mind, he stumbled through the corridors, staggered to the left and to the right, hit his shoulder on a corner, and even turned around and walked back without consciously noticing it.  
  
And then the ceiling seemed to come down, to crush him, and Daniel pressed his back against the wall, terrified, looking for support and protection. He didn't know if he was standing or lying on the floor, if the ceiling was above him or if he was staring at a wall. He continued to stumble forward, tripping over his own feet like a drunken man. Suddenly he slipped and fell down. Everything went dark.   
  
*****  
  
There was a moving light at the end of the tunnel to the left. Jack couldn't make out the source of the light, but since it made movements like his own flashlight, he assumed it had to be a member of his team. Without thinking about it, Jack ran into the hallway to the left.  
  
"Carter! Daniel! Teal'c!"  
  
He didn't get an answer, but that didn't discourage him. His feet stumbled across the uneven floor, and Jack realized that this part of the cave was made out of rock. The ceiling seemed to be lower here, so he had to be careful not to hit his head. Being tall could be disadvantageous sometimes.   
  
Jack noticed that the light at the end of the tunnel was fading. He increased his speed. This didn't turn out to be a good idea since his attention was focused on the ceiling and he didn't notice the rocks that were sticking out of the floor. Jack tripped, crashed straight with the head into a wall, and his lamp fell to the ground and rolled to the opposite wall. A beam of light pointed to the ceiling.  
  
Dazed, Jack lay flat on his face for a while, until he heard a scratching noise. He opened his eyes and found himself literally nose to nose with a small furry animal. The small black eyes were reflecting the light of his lamp. The animal sniffed and approached him, the whiskers tickled in his nose and he sneezed. The small creature turned around abruptly and disappeared into the darkness, but Jack had enough time to recognize it as a hamster.   
  
Perplexed, he sat up, stared at the spot where the animal had disappeared, and didn't understand why the word "killer-hamster" came to his mind. Jack shook his head and rubbed his forehead. He felt the bruise where his head had contacted with the wall and winced. He'd get a wonderful bump, just like Daniel.   
  
From one second to the other, Jack became aware of his situation again. It was time to leave. He had to get out of here, look for an exit and of course find the owner of the flashlight he had seen. Jack struggled to his feet, ignoring the stars he was seeing, and reached for his lamp, grateful that it wasn't damaged.  
  
Before Jack continued his way through the countless dark passages, he cast a careful glance in the direction in which the hamster had disappeared to make sure he was gone. After all he had encountered so far, he wouldn't be surprised if the "killer-hamster" had a big brother.   
  
*****  
  
A dead end again. Sam turned back, came to the long hallway she had just left -- and stopped short. At the other end of the corridor there was a figure approaching. Behind the light that came from the person's lamp she believed to recognize Daniel. No, she was sure.  
  
"Daniel!"  
  
The figure raised an arm and waved.   
  
"Hey, Sam!"  
  
Thank God. It was really Daniel. At least he was alright. Sam sighed in relief and went towards him.  
  
After three steps her smile faded and turned into a worried look. She stopped. Something moved behind Daniel. Something she wasn't able to recognize, just a huge... something.  
  
"Daniel, there is something at your back! Watch out!"  
  
Daniel walked on just as before, as if he hadn't heard anything. The big something came closer. Sam released the safety catch of her weapon and began to run.  
  
"Daniel, get down!"  
  
Sam couldn't shoot since Daniel's body was almost filling out the whole tunnel and she would most likely hit him. He didn't react, but the monster behind him came closer.   
  
"Dammit Daniel, get down!"  
  
Sam didn't understand why Daniel couldn't hear her or why he ignored her order. She ran towards him, hoping to reach him before the beast did -- and was abruptly stopped by something she couldn't see. She rebounded off the invisible thing, stumbled, caught herself and cast a glance at Daniel. He was standing in the tunnel and looked at her without knowing what was behind him.   
  
"Daniel! At your back!"  
  
Sam's cry echoed through the tunnel, and she ran against the invisible wall. It was in vain. Desperately she raised her MP and switched to single-shot fire. The distance between her and the monster seemed to be short enough to have a chance to hit it instead of Daniel. She shot.  
  
The bullet ricocheted off the invisible wall and missed her head by a hair's breadth. Sam ducked instinctively.   
  
In front of her, on the other side of the barrier, the drama went on.   
  
"Daniel!"  
  
Helplessly, Sam had to watch how Daniel was buried under the monstrous mass, and his light went out.  
  
For a few seconds, Sam stood in front of the wall and stared right through it. There was nothing. Where Daniel had just been caught by a slimy monster, there was nothing but darkness. Her lamp, which usually lighted three or four meters, seemed to be unable to penetrate the invisible wall. There was only darkness behind it, and Sam couldn't see a thing.   
  
Slowly, Sam lowered her weapon, still staring at the spot, unbelieving. Then she raised a hand, hesitated, groped around, and touched a wall. The invisible barrier was still there, there was no doubt about it. It filled the whole corridor, but she couldn't see it. It wasn't anything like glass, it had to be some kind of energy barrier. Sam wanted to ask Teal'c if he knew anything about it.   
  
But now she was going to look for another way to get around the barrier. She had to find out what had happened to Daniel.  
  
*****  
  
Teal'c had lost track of the water trace on the floor. He searched the floor in front of him in vain. Probably the one whose wet clothing caused the trace had dried in the meantime so that he didn't drip any more. Teal'c was able to see this at his own trousers. They were drying, too.  
  
All of his hopes finding the person vanished.  
  
A loud bang, followed by a hollow echo, caught his attention. Teal'c tilted his head and listened. The noise didn't repeat but he was sure that it was an MP-shot. And only O'Neill and Carter were carrying MPs. So if he was able to follow the direction from where the shot came he would have a good chance to find at least one of them.  
  
It was difficult locating a noise in a cavern. Teal'c knew this. Ears could be mislead very quickly. But Teal'c knew the problem and wouldn't let himself distract. He started to walk, determined.  
  
*****  
  
Jack stopped abruptly. Footsteps. He could hear the noise of boots on solid ground. So he hadn't been deceived when he had thought to hear something before. He shut off his light. His back against the wall, Jack tiptoed sideways in the dark, towards the corner where he had heard the footsteps. His backpack made a slight scratching noise on the wall. Jack peered around the corner very cautiously, the switched off lamp in his left hand, the knife in his right. He wouldn't take any risks.  
  
The hallway he was looking into was now lighted by a small light, moving with the rhythm of the footsteps. The figure behind it was barely recognizable, but Jack had seen the person countless times. Now he was sure who was coming towards him. Drawing a deep breath, he left his cover and stepped out into the hallway.  
  
*****  
  
Systematically, at least as much as possible, Sam made her way through the confusing tunnels. The incident with Daniel and the shadow-like thing she hadn't recognized clearly in the dark were still on her mind and worried her. She didn't find any trace of either, no matter how carefully she searched. Did she miss the right hallway? Or did her imagination play a nasty trick on her? Had she seen holograms, or reflections caused by the invisible wall?  
  
And this thing, what was it? It was bigger than Daniel, green, a slimy kind of green, and an ugly creature. When Sam thought about it, she was more and more sure that it resembled an Unas. The creature was big, a monster filling out most of the corridor. It had to duck to avoid bumping its head at the ceiling.  
  
Just like this one.  
  
The sight hit Sam like a blow in the stomach, and made her stop. A few meters in front of her stood exactly that monster. Giant. So large, that it almost didn't fit in the corridor.  
  
Sam reacted instinctively. Seeing the creature, recognizing it and releasing the safety catch of her weapon was a matter of seconds. And as the slimy monster started to move Sam pulled the trigger without thinking any longer.  
  
*****  
  
Jack put away his knife. He wouldn't have to use it.  
  
"Nice to see you, Carter. I appreciate some company. It's a little lonely in this damned maze."  
  
Jack switched on his lamp again and fixed it to his vest while he stood and watched Sam coming closer. Then he became suspicious. Sam was acting very strange. Barely had he said his first words, she stopped and aimed her gun at him. What the hell did that mean? Wasn't she able to recognize him?  
  
"Hey, Carter, it's me, O'Neill. You can..."  
  
He was interrupted. Sam fired and the racket of shots filled the hallway . Jack just was able to take cover behind the corner with a quick jump. If he had made more than one step out of his corridor before he wouldn't have had a chance now. But now he was lucky not to get caught by the whole volley of shots.  
  
*****  
  
Her ears were almost dumb from the loud sound of her shots and the cracking noise of the ricochets inside the narrow corridor. The hollow echo rolled and ebbed away.  
  
Sam took in a deep breath. Again she had walked into a trap. Again she had been seduced to shoot and risked to be injured by something that had vanished into thin air like a ghost. However, nothing was left to be seen from this creature. The place where it had been standing was deserted now. It could only be spotted by the dust crumbling from the ceiling. Maybe her bullets had loosened some bricks. It appeared wise to Sam to use another way.  
  
*****  
  
Teal'c started to jog. What he had just heard wasn't a single shot. It was a whole round. And he was sure about the direction it came from.  
  
"O'Neill! Carter!"  
  
His voice boomed through the darkness. He didn't receive an answer which he hadn't expected after the earlier experiences, but he had to try. Meters and meters he ran towards the general direction without getting irritated by the many windings and turns of the corridors. Teal'c was sure to be close to his goal when he noticed steps leading up into a small corridor. This was the first time he saw stairs in this labyrinth. Could that mean...? Teal'c hurried up the steps. His flashlight lighted a metal door. Cautiously he turned the handle. Despite his expectations the door opened and led into an empty room, dark and musty as the hallways he had run through before. At the far end of this room there was another door, and as Teal'c opened it carefully a few centimeters he could see another hallway which ended at the foot of lightened stairs. Had he finally discovered the exit out of the labyrinth? Teal'c hesitated a few moments, unsure of what to do now. Then he decided to search for his comrades first. The shooti  
ng worried him, he wanted to make sure that nobody was in danger. They could find this exit together, if it was an exit at all.  
  
Teal'c closed the door, headed back to the labyrinth and started his search again at the place where he had interrupted before. He was sure to be near the spot from where he had heard the shots.  
  
After a short time Teal'c stopped suddenly. This wasn't the area with the water-basin, but in front of him on the floor he saw small dark stains. And a larger one at the wall, still fresh. He could feel it as he touched the dark stain with one finger. And he could smell it.  
  
*****  
  
Daniel opened his eyes. The darkness was still there. He needed several seconds until he remembered where he was. His head was still ringing, in his stomach he still felt that slight nausea. He couldn't have lied for long on the ground because he felt just like before.  
  
Without really being aware of what he did, Daniel got up. His flashlight now lighted the narrow corridor again. Automatically he stepped forward. His vision still was blurred.  
  
*****  
  
Jack leaned his back against the wall which had just saved him.  
  
"Dammit, Carter, what are you doing? Do you wanna kill me?"  
  
No answer. No footsteps. Jack held his breath and listened. He couldn't hear anything, except the ringing in his ears caused by the shots in the narrow corridor. Very slowly he shoved his head around the corner until he could see the hallway behind it. It was totally deserted. Where Carter had been standing a few seconds ago there was nothing now.  
  
And Jack was absolutely sure that he had seen Carter. Again a deception? What the hell was going on? Was he dreaming everything?  
  
Jack shook his head doubtfully, took in a deep breath -- and winced vehemently as this breathing shot a burning pain through his side. His right hand automatically groped for the spot, felt something warm and clammy, and as Jack gazed at his hand in the light of his lamp, it was stained dark. And only now when he saw the wound, Jack felt the pain raising. The pain caused by a gunshot wound.  
  
No Dream. This was real. Carter had hit him with a bullet, and he was more than lucky that it was only one bullet and not the whole round. If he had been standing in the middle of the corridor...  
  
Jack swore silently as he felt the blood soaking his uniform down to the trousers. He was about to take off his backpack to get his first-aid kit when a noise made him stop. Footsteps. This time it were loud footsteps. Footsteps of a big man with heavy boots. Footsteps Jack had heard often. Every time a Jaffa had been coming towards him. This noise was clear to recognize. Jack gave up the thought of tending his injury and fled. If the Jaffa behind the fire hadn't been an imagination it would be better to get a little distance to him. Jack only was hoping that the Jaffa -- and he was sure that it was a Jaffa -- wouldn't cut his way off. He pushed himself forward through the hallways as fast as he could, one hand pressed to his side to suppress the pain as much as possible. The footsteps behind him came closer, he could hear them despite his panting. Jack glanced back over his shoulder, stumbled and fell to the ground with a suppressed groan. He lost valuable seconds until he stood on his feet again and stagger  
ed on. But he realized very soon that he wouldn't be able to go on for much longer.  
  
Jack switched off his light and sneaked through the dark until he found the next corner. He decided to wait here. Maybe the Jaffa would pass by without seeing him. It was a vague hope, yes, but at least a chance. After all he couldn't race through the tunnels forever. The steps approached. Jack pressed himself flat to the wall and tried to breathe as silent as possible, which wasn't easy at all. He drew out his knife. He had no illusions about his chances, but he wasn't willing to surrender without fighting.  
  
Light danced on the walls, came closer and became brighter, and although expecting him, Jack winced in surprise as the Jaffa suddenly stood in front of him, giant and threatening.  
  
*****  
  
This was definitely blood. The smell was unmistakable. Teal'c looked around worriedly. Obviously someone had been injured in the shooting. But why did he flee? Teal'c could hear the noise of retreating footsteps. He hurried to follow them which wasn't very difficult, because the fugitive left a trace of blood-stains. Teal'c saw them appear in irregular intervals on the floor. He followed the trace through several tunnels and saw Jack turn around a corner several meters ahead.  
  
"O'Neill! Stop! I can help you!"  
  
Jack didn't react and Teal'c quickened his pace. He had almost reached the branch when a movement in the corner of his eye made him stop. At the end of the corridor on his left side he saw Daniel sitting on the floor, looking totally exhausted, motionless, his back leaned against the wall. Teal'c hesitated only for a moment. Daniel didn't look like he'd get up and walk away right now. However, O'Neill was moving back with every second, and he was injured. Teal'c drew out his knife and deposited it in the middle of the hallway to mark the spot. The knife could help him searching for Daniel if necessary. Then he ran forward. A blurred blood-stain showed Teal'c the direction he had to take. He didn't hear any more footsteps by now. Did O'Neill hide behind one of the countless branches? Teal'c listened for a short time, then he moved on. His assumption was right. After passing three corners he ran into Jack who attacked him with his knife. His confusion didn't prevent Teal'c from reacting quickly. His staff-weapo  
n hit the knife out of Jack's hand.  
  
"What are you doing, O'Neill? Why do you attack me?"  
  
Instead of answering Jack swung back his fist and tried to knock out Teal'c, which Teal'c stopped easily.  
  
"O'Neill, do you not recognize me? I am Teal'c!"  
  
Teal'c held Jack's arms tight and pushed them against the wall, but now Jack used his legs to defend himself and kicked Teal'c badly.  
  
Teal'c was perplexed. Why did his friend act as if he had do fight an enemy?  
  
"I am very sorry, O'Neill, but I have to do this."  
  
With this apology Teal'c knocked Jack out. Noiselessly, his friend collapsed.  
  
Teal'c hurried back to the stairs and the exit, Jack's motionless body on his shoulders. He took the same way as before and was very relieved to see Daniel sitting at the same place. He hadn't moved at all.  
  
A moment later Teal'c arrived at the stairs, opened the door and laid his burden on the floor of the room behind. With a short glance at the injury and feeling a steady pulse, Teal'c made sure that he had enough time to get Daniel Jackson before he would look after O'Neill. The risk of Daniel vanishing again was too high. Teal'c jogged back to the place where he had seen Daniel. Without slowing down he picked up his knife and a few meters further he got down on one knee in front of Daniel.  
  
"Daniel Jackson?"  
  
Daniel stared on the opposite wall without reacting to Teal'c's presence. He didn't even seem to notice him.  
  
Something strange had happened to his teammates, but Teal'c didn't understand what it was. But now there was no time to search for explanations. He took Daniel's arm and pulled him to his feet. Daniel offered no resistance and let Teal'c lead him through the hallways, stumbling now and then.  
  
Finally Teal'c pushed the young man upstairs and through the door into the room where Jack was waiting, still unconscious.  
  
Daniel blinked. He had the feeling of waking up from a crazy dream and couldn't understand why he wasn't lying in his bed but standing in the middle of a dim room staring at Teal'c. Teal'c took off his backpack and kneeled by the side of Jack. Jack, who didn't move and obviously was wounded, judging by the amount of blood.  
  
"Teal'c?"  
  
Teal'c turned around and looked up at Daniel.  
  
"Daniel Jackson. Do you recognize me again?"  
  
"What? Um... y... yes, of course I do. Teal'c, what's going on? What happened to Jack?"  
  
Daniel kneeled down at Jack's other side and stared at the blood-soaked uniform worriedly.  
  
"O'Neill was shot. I do not know any details. It happened in the labyrinth."  
  
Teal'c unzipped Jack's vest.  
  
"Labyrinth?" It took a few seconds until Daniel's eyes showed comprehension. He remembered.  
  
"Where's Sam?"  
  
Teal'c motioned backwards with his thumb.  
  
"Captain Carter is still in there. I will go and search for her as soon as O'Neill's injury is tended."  
  
Daniel shivered, not only because he felt his clammy clothing again.  
  
"Let me dress Jack's wound, Teal'c. Please go and try to find Sam as quickly as possible. I don't want her to walk around there any longer. Every minute is a minute too many. Hurry up, Teal'c, please."  
  
"Are you sure you will manage it, Daniel Jackson?"  
  
"I'm fine, Teal'c. Please go and get Sam out of there!"  
  
Daniel's urgent request convinced Teal'c that the young man had recovered. Whatever it was that had controlled Daniel Jackson in the labyrinth, had here and now obviously lost its power. Teal'c got up.  
  
"I will try to come back as soon as possible."  
  
Daniel merely nodded, his hands already busy with taking off Jack's gear. He was thankful that Jack still was unconscious.  
  
*****  
  
Jack awoke with the feeling of having been hit by a car. He blinked and closed his eyes again, dazzled by the light shining right into his face.  
  
"I'm sorry, Jack." Daniel changed the direction of his light. Jack turned over and groaned painfully.  
  
"You should stay put, Jack, until I've dressed you."  
  
Daniel's hands pushed Jack back to the ground. This brought Jack finally back to reality. He opened his eyes and stared at Daniel, who was kneeling at his side fumbling through his backpack.  
  
"Daniel?"  
  
"You'd better have slept for some more time, Jack. Now it's going to be more painful for you."  
  
"What the hell is going on?"  
  
Jack propped up on his elbow, gazed at the blood stain darkening his uniform and all of a sudden he remembered the circumstances that were the reason for the pain in his side.  
  
"Dammit! Is it bad?"  
  
"Don't know yet, Jack. I just started."  
  
Daniel took out the first-aid kit. Since Jack refused to lie down again, Daniel helped him to lean against the wall and cautiously pulled the shirt out of the waistband to get a look at the injury. Jack took in a breath through gritted teeth during this process, sweat dripping down his face. Then he risked a glance downwards. 'Wounds caused by staff-blasts have at least one good point,' shot through his mind. 'They hurt like hell, but you don't bleed to death.' The leg of his pants was soaked with blood down to his knee. But the bleeding seemed to decrease. At least Jack saw it trickling only slowly. His hand groped for the exit wound on his back but Daniel pulled it away very resolutely.  
  
"You're allowed to hold up your shirt, Jack. Everything else you can leave to me, okay?"  
  
Jack only growled and followed Daniels order.  
  
"How did that happen, Jack? Who shot you?" Daniel started to clean the wound with antiseptic. Jack didn't get the chance to answer because at this moment the door to the labyrinth opened and Teal'c came in, Sam's arm in his tight grip. Daniel looked up, Jack lowered his hand.  
  
"Thank god, Teal'c, you've found Sam very quickly," Daniel said.  
  
"I thought she must have been very near to this area, but I was lucky. We almost ran into each other at one corner", Teal'c reported.  
  
Sam stood dazzled and looked around. She also needed a minute until she recognized where she was.  
  
"Daniel! You're living!"  
  
"A little groggy, but... yes", Daniel answered.  
  
Sam freed herself from Teal'c's grip and knelt down in front of Jack.  
  
"What happened, Sir?"  
  
"Seems someone shot me."  
  
Daniel shoved up the shirt again, waited until Jack held it and started to dress the wound carefully.  
  
"This is a bullet-wound", Sam diagnosed.  
  
"Right, Carter."  
  
"But who..." Who else except herself had a weapon which fired bullets?  
  
Jack said nothing but glanced at Sam's MP meaningfully. Sam protested, shocked.  
  
"Oh no! That's impossible, Sir. I only shot that ugly green slimy monster. And then it vanished into thin air...," her voice trailed off.  
  
Jack showed a crooked grin.  
  
"People gave me a lot of names, but until now nobody has called me a slimy monster. Ouch!"  
  
Daniel pressed the wound a little too hard as he started to chuckle.  
  
"Dammit, Daniel! Do you wanna finish what Carter has started?" Jack groaned.  
  
"Sorry, Jack." Daniel was still giggling.  
  
Sam turned pale.  
  
"God, then it's true... This... I was the one who..." She pointed at Jack's injury. "But, Sir... you have to believe me. I really didn't see you. There only was this..."  
  
"... monster, I know, I know. But I saw you very clearly. Although at that time I really didn't know if I could trust my eyes. But this proves it." His chin motioned down to his belly.  
  
Sam stared at Jack. "Sir... I... I don't know what to say..."  
  
"That would be the first ti..." He stopped as he saw the shocked expression on her face. But only Daniel had heard the mumbled words.  
  
"I... I could have killed you!" Sam swallowed. "I'm so sorry, Sir."  
  
Jack made a calming gesture. He hadn't seen Sam upset like this for a long time.  
  
"Not your fault, Carter. The same thing could've happened to me. And I'm still living. Question is, how much longer. Dammit, Daniel, aren't you done now?"  
  
Jack groaned loudly as Daniel tightened and fixed the bandage. Daniel raised both hands.  
  
"It's done, Jack, I'm finished."  
  
He packed up the rest of the medical stuff, barely able to hold back a giggle.  
  
"Slimy monster", he murmured almost inaudibly. For a short time this picture in his imagination covered the seriousness of their situation.  
  
Jack frowned at him and started to get up.  
  
"That slimy monster will -- argh, dammit!"  
  
He interrupted himself as the hasty movement shot a stabbing pain through his side. Sitting on the floor again, he gasped and gritted his teeth. Daniel shut the box with a loud snap and glanced at Jack.  
  
"You're welcome, Jack. It was my pleasure to help you."  
  
Jack swallowed the words he was about to say.  
  
"Um... thanks, Daniel. The dressing looks very professional. You seem to become an expert."  
  
"Just a matter of exercise, Jack."  
  
Jack decided to try to stand up later and looked into the faces of his teammates instead.  
  
"Can somebody explain to me what all this is supposed to mean?" He waved his hand in the direction of the labyrinth.   
  
"I think someone manipulated us and created hallucinations with the help of those devices." Sam touched the round crystals on her temples.   
  
"But I didn't just have hallucinations, Sam," said Daniel. "I'm sure that some of the things that happened down there were very real." He tugged at his wet fatigues. "However, I must admit that pretty much everything seemed real to me. Once I was really frightened out of my mind."  
  
Sam winced as she thought of her own experiences. "Not just you, Daniel. I only realized later that not everything was real. Sometimes I ran away without thinking. I wonder why I never met any of you. I think I've been in every part of the maze."  
  
Teal'c also sat down. "I have seen you all, and I called for you because the radio did not work. But none of you reacted."  
  
"I've neither seen you nor anyone else," said Daniel.  
  
Jack nodded in agreement.  
  
"Probably also a manipulation. As far as I'm concerned, I can say that sometimes I wasn't able to influence my actions," said Sam.  
  
"And you, Teal'c?" asked Jack.  
  
"I did not have hallucinations. But my staff weapon did not work. I think this may be Goa'uld technology."  
  
"Which doesn't work on you," Sam added.   
  
"That is correct, Captain Carter," Teal'c nodded.  
  
"This could be an explanation why the zat gun didn't work, and for the energy barrier I ran into," Sam said.  
  
"If this labyrinth is what I assume, you were all pretty lucky. There are definitely more traps, some of which you could not have escaped so easily. It is possible that I saved you just in time."  
  
Jack nodded at Teal'c's words. "The Jaffa who followed me -- I didn't have the slightest chance against him. I'm still wondering why he just knocked me out."  
  
"I was the Jaffa, O'Neill."  
  
"What? Does that mean...?"   
  
"You defended yourself against me, so I had to put you out of action. You were wounded and I wanted to prevent you from harming yourself."  
  
"Then I guess I should be grateful, Teal'c," Jack mumbled and rubbed his chin. "But before we start chatting and exchange our stories, here is the 20000-Dollar-question: Who is responsible for bringing us into this mess? Are we dealing with a Goa'uld here?"  
  
"Maybe you'll get an answer to your question now, Jack." Daniel was the only one who could see the second door and looked up when he noticed that it opened.  
  
Sam and Teal'c whirled around, weapons is firing position. But they realized quickly that they didn't have a chance against the twenty men who entered the room and surrounded them. Twenty weapons, that looked like laser pistols, were pointed at SG-1. One of the men wore a white coat over his black suit and had a red stripe across his chest and was in this way different from the others who had blue stripes. He commanded, "Drop your weapons."  
  
"Do as he says," Jack said. He no longer had his weapon, but the others obeyed his order, reluctantly.  
  
With a movement of his hand the leader told the team to stand up. They were searched for more weapons, and Jack watched closely where the guards put their equipment, especially the GDO. Three of the men collected the weapons and gear lying around and followed the others who had taken the SG-1 team in the middle and went up the stairs behind the second door.  
  
Jack turned around to Daniel and cast him a questioning look with raised eyebrows. "Daniel?"  
  
"Silence!" snapped one of the men.   
  
Jack raised his hands in an attempt to calm him down. "Okay, okay, it's alright."  
  
Daniel understood what Jack wanted to know. A few minutes ago they had brought up the question for Goa'uld, and Daniel tried to identify who they were dealing with, but he was not able to recognize their culture. They were certainly not Jaffa. He shook his head and shrugged. Jack turned back to the front. They had reached the end of the staircase.  
  
The guards led them through more corridors. All of them were lit brightly, and the further they moved on, the more impressively they were decorated. Carpets covered the floors of the vast halls which they passed through, carved furniture was standing around everywhere, and luxurious paintings covered the walls from the floor to the ceiling. A lot of those soldiers or guards were rushing through the hallways, but also people who were dressed in simple white coats and could be recognized as servants by the things they carried or the activity they were doing.  
  
Jack almost regretted that Daniel had dressed his wound so professionally. It would have given him a slight satisfaction to leave a few drops of blood on the precious rug. This unrestrained exhibition of wealth made him sick. A luxury like this was, in his experience, only achievable if the defenseless population was exploited by the upper class.  
  
The guards stopped in front of a high caved doorway. The leader with the red marked coat entered and came back after a short time, holding one door open.  
  
"You may enter."  
  
"Oh, we have been given an audience," Jack muttered softly, ignoring the menacing looks of the guards next to him. When he entered the room behind the portal, he really felt as if he had been transported into the throne room of an old Hollywood movie. The huge wall hangings, the countless burning candles which reflected in the crystal ceiling, the French windows that gave a view over the extensive park, several basins in the marble floor with gushing fountains -- a director from the 1930s could have immediately started shooting a screen epic. At least ten young girls in long white dresses, standing ready along a wall, completed the picture.   
  
In the middle of the room on a thick white rug stood a comfortable armchair. It was almost a couch, covered with a royal blue, shining fabric. On the chair sprawled a woman with dense, black, almost waist-long hair, who brought the only flaw into the perfect composition. It was not her long, rainbow-colored robe with the big collar, no, that fitted into the picture. It was the device that she wore on her head, which seemed completely out of place to Jack.  
  
"Bring those people closer, Rollan," the woman said.  
  
The leader of the guards waved the team to come forward and stopped them after a few steps. The other guards took position directly behind them.   
  
"Kneel before our ruler Lesh'Lakon!" ordered Rollan gruffly. Daniel and Sam were the first to obey, then Teal'c also followed the order. Just when one of the guards raised his weapon to whack Jack on the head, he also got down on his knees, reluctantly. He hated this procedure every time. They had been stopped about half a meter before the edge of the carpet, so that they had to kneel on the hard marble floor.  
  
Jack cleared his throat and cast a look to the left where Sam was kneeling next to Daniel and asked soundlessly, "Goa'uld?"  
  
Sam looked to the woman, and back to Jack, and shook her head, almost unnoticeable. Jack let out a relieved sigh. The first good news today.  
  
The woman on the armchair swung her legs down and leaned back casually. In her hands she held a flat, oval, about twenty centimeters long device that was divided up into several differently colored sections, some of which were blinking. The tool on her head was a metal ring with a half-round, dull golden shining peak attached. It looked like a kind of visor with two blue crystals in the temple area, which covered the entire eye region and reached from one ear to the other. It looked similar to those head gears used for virtual reality games on earth. She took off the device.   
  
Revealed was the living equivalent of the wall painting in the room with the trap door, one of the most beautiful women Jack had ever seen. And he hated her from the first moment. His guts told him that she was responsible for their miserable situation.   
  
"My assumption was correct," Teal'c said suddenly.  
  
"Silence! You do not have permission to speak." The guard behind him raised his weapon, but he was stopped by the woman with a wave of her hand.   
  
Jack cast a questioning look at Teal'c, who was kneeling next to him.   
  
"I have heard about this, but I have never seen one," continued Teal'c.   
  
The woman pointed at the Jaffa with the blinking disc. "You have deceived me, dark man. It did not work with you." She stroked her hand over the apparatus. "It is impressive what kind of inventions there are. It took a long time for me to discover its function, but now it provides me a lot of pleasure." She smiled contently.   
  
Jack looked from the ruler to Teal'c, puzzled. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"These kinds of labyrinths are used by the Goa'uld for their enjoyment. The sensors we were implanted with transferred everything we saw and felt to the receiver she had on her head. This allowed her to see what happened to us in the tunnels, and she could manipulate you with the hand device and create hallucinations. Obviously she did not know that it does not work for Jaffa."  
  
"I don't believe it! We were just entertainment? She risks lives just for the fun of it?" Jack was really upset.   
  
Sam and Daniel were staring at the ruler in disbelief, who had listened to Teal'c explanation with amusement.   
  
"Why are you so upset, strangers? Did you not have pleasure? Such a little adventure now and then is a real excitement in this boring life."  
  
Jack almost exploded with anger. "If your life is boring, you should crawl around down there yourself, instead of abusing others for it!"  
  
"But that does not content me," replied Lesh'Lakon with a bored voice. "It is much more amusing this way. And you did not even see everything." A self-satisfied smile crept over her beautiful face.   
  
Jack was close to boiling point. "Hold me back or I'll break her neck!" he growled through gritted teeth.  
  
Teal'c and Daniel both grabbed for his arms as he made a move to stand up. At this moment Daniel was glad that looks couldn't kill, or else Lesh'Lakon would have been dead by now.   
  
"Jack, she's not worth it," said Daniel beseechingly. A movement he noticed from the corner of his eye let him turn his head and he saw that one of the guards behind them was holding his weapon only a few centimeters away from Jack's head, only waiting for an acknowledgement from his ruler. A shiver ran down Daniel's spine.   
  
Lesh'Lakon on her throne was observing the small interlude with interest. She had seen very well how the expression in Jack's eyes changed from anger to unrestrained fury, and realized that she was dealing with a man at the edge of his self-control, a man who was currently very willing to carry out his threat, without caring about the consequences. Only the two other strangers were holding him back.   
  
Lesh'Lakon ran her fingers playfully over the control device. Her dark eyes were sparkling. Then, suddenly, she tapped with her fingertip on one of the panels and saw Jack wince sharply, as if from a blow, and gasp for air. His eyes closed for a few seconds and he would have fallen over if Daniel and Teal'c weren't holding him.  
  
'Also a dangerous man can be put out of the running. You just need the right means,' the smile on the woman's lips seemed to say.  
  
Sam understood why their equipment hadn't been taken away from them in the labyrinth. Their weapons had only provided an illusion of safety. In fact they had been at the mercy of this woman.   
  
Threatening silence filled the room. The guards divided their attention on Lesh'Lakon and their prisoners, ready to take action at the smallest sign.   
  
Lesh'Lakon let her gaze wander over the faces of the strangers on the floor. There was the light-haired woman who was still staring at her in horror. The man with the glasses in his face looked unbelieving, maybe even in fear. The man with the blood on his clothes, obviously the leader, tried to get his emotions under control. The man with the dark skin just stared at her without showing any feelings.  
  
Suddenly, Lesh'Lakon tossed the control device on the ground. One of the girls jumped up and picked it up. She laid the device on the small table.  
  
Lesh'Lakon made a gesture as if she wanted to chase away an annoying fly. "You will leave now."  
  
Bored, she leaned back in her wide chair and pulled her legs on the seat. Then she draped carefully the wrinkles of her dress. She had lost her interest in this game.   
  
*****  
  
The team was still kneeling on the floor, speechless, until Teal'c finally got up. He helped Jack up, who still seemed to be under the aftereffects of Lesh'Lakon's latest action; at least he was unusually quiet and made a dazed impression when he came to his legs, groaning.   
  
Sam could hardly believe it. A few seconds ago, they had been threatened by twenty weapons, an unsure fate ahead of them. And now they were dismissed with a single casual gesture.   
  
When she got up she cast a glance at the guards behind her. Even the leader Rollan had a surprised expression on his face. He obviously wasn't used to this behavior of his ruler, but this didn't keep him from snarling at the team in a commanding voice, "Did you not listen? Leave this room!"  
  
Daniel stood and stared at Lesh'Lakon, puzzled. "You mean we can go? Just like that?"  
  
"Leave now! You are boring me!"  
  
Sam tapped at one of the discs on her temples. "And what about this?"  
  
The woman didn't even deign to reply to her, just Rollan said gruffly, "Later!"  
  
His hand with the weapon was waving impatiently at the direction of the portal.   
  
Lesh'Lakon's voice stopped them a few seconds later.   
  
"Stop!"  
  
"Ruler?" Rollan turned around.   
  
"The young man stays here!"  
  
Daniel winced. It was obvious to him that he was meant.   
  
Two guards grabbed him and took him back. Lesh'Lakon took again the control device in her hand, got up and approached him, her dark eyes glittering.   
  
"Perhaps I should keep you?"  
  
"You can't..." Jack started to protest, but a move of the woman was quicker than the guards. Again she touched a part of the control device, and Jack slumped to the ground with a groan. Two men grabbed him and dragged him out of the room, and the others made sure Teal'c and Sam were following. Through the closing doors, Sam could just catch Daniel's helpless look as he watched them go.  
  
*****  
  
They left the throne room and were led into a small room. When they were out of Lesh'Lakon's sight, Rollan became a bit nicer. "We must wait for the Jallmar. You can sit down here."  
  
One of the guards left them, the others were standing along the wall and outside the door.   
  
"What about Daniel?"  
  
Rollan answered Jack's question with a shrug. Jack sat down on a wooden bench, the only piece of furniture in the room, and pressed his hand on the wound, which was burning like fire after the rough treatment. He was determined not to leave without Daniel, although right now he didn't have the slightest idea how he should accomplish that. He exchanged looks with Sam and Teal'c, who were also looking resolute. But so were the guards. It wouldn't be easy to take action against them.   
  
Jack's thoughts were stopped abruptly when the door opened after a few minutes and Daniel was roughly pushed into the room.   
  
"This woman is unbelievable," Daniel muttered and took a seat next to his comrades on the bench.   
  
"That's the understatement of the year," Jack growled angrily. "I have a lot of other names for her."  
  
Sam briefly touched Jack's arm. "Colonel."  
  
They still weren't out of danger. They were still under the direct control of Lesh'Lakon, proven by her attack on the colonel, from which he was still recovering. Moody and unpredictable as she was, she could very well come up with a few more unpleasant surprises for the team.   
  
Jack closed his mouth. He understood the warning and he knew that Sam was right when she stopped him. In situations like these it was sometimes hard for him to control himself, but he couldn't risk anything. Maybe he should be glad that he could sit here.   
  
"What did she do to you, Daniel?" Sam asked softly.   
  
Daniel snorted. "Something like that has never happened to me before," he replied. "She walked around me a few times and examined me like a horse for sale. Then she stood there for a while -- maybe she was considering to offer me on the slave market -- and then she waved her guards to take me away and she walked back to her throne. That was everything."   
  
"Maybe you didn't turn on the old charm, Daniel."   
  
Daniel answered Jack's comment with a contemptuous look, but he preferred not to say anything.   
  
The next minutes passed in silence, until Daniel's curiosity won. Hesitating, he turned to the guard leader. "Rollan, may I ask you something?"  
  
The leader nodded.   
  
"Parts of this palace are very old, right?"  
  
"Yes, that is correct."  
  
"Do you know the meaning of the signs in the room with the moving floor, the trapdoor?"  
  
"No, no one is able to understand the signs. They have always been there but no one can read them."  
  
"It could be Goa'uld," Daniel said to Teal'c. "What do you think?"  
  
"That is correct, Daniel Jackson. It is a very old dialect that I'm not familiar with."  
  
"So you weren't able to read them, either?" Sam asked.  
  
"I am afraid not."  
  
"Maybe something like: 'High-speed lift to a visit of the cave. Admission free.'" Jack suggested.   
  
"The design of the palace isn't like the Goa'uld at all," Daniel continued, ignoring Jack. "You are saying it's an old dialect. Is it possible that this planet was given up by the Goa'uld a long time ago?"  
  
"That is possible. There were many wars between the system lords, and when the victor had a better base he sometimes gave up the planet of the loser."  
  
"And the surviving natives took over this palace," Sam assumed.  
  
"This must have happened a long time ago. I have no knowledge of this incident," said Teal'c.  
  
"At least the natives didn't have any problems to follow in the Goa'ulds' footsteps," Jack growled angrily.  
  
Rollan had listened to the conversation without understanding much, but he hadn't said anything. Apparently he had been trained to take orders and ask no questions, and now he was unsure whether he should take part in the discussion or not.   
  
The return of the guard ended it anyway. He carried four tools which resembled huge pliers.   
  
"The Jallmar?" Sam asked. Rollan nodded. Sam eyed the devices with a feeling of unease, which turned out to be correct. The guard put a pair of pliers at Sam's head and the tool pulled out the two small crystals from Sam's temples. The sharp pain which was created by this action made Sam groan. The men had to endure the same unpleasant procedure, and only Teal'c managed not to show his feelings. However, all four felt really relieved afterwards.   
  
*****  
  
Shortly after, Rollan was keen to get going.   
  
"What about our equipment and the backpacks?" Jack wanted to know. After all, they contained their GDOs. Without them the door to earth would remain locked.   
  
"You will get them back when you have left this palace, not sooner. I will lead you to the exit."  
  
With all nineteen guards as an escort, he guided the team through the extensive corridors, halls and a lot of doors.   
  
"I feel like I've been walking for miles!" Jack complained. "Don't they have electric cars here?"  
  
Sam cast him a worried look. Did he really ask because of the length of the hallways? It was impossible to tell from his unreadable face if he was in pain, but she was sure that he suffered. She could tell that from his cautious movements.  
  
"Are you okay, colonel?" she asked.  
  
"Just wonderful, Carter," Jack grumbled. "What do you think? I just have a hole in my belly and my head..."  
  
He stopped when he saw that Sam was still blaming herself for what had happened. He continued after a short pause, "Sorry Carter, I didn't want to..."  
  
"How big is this building?" Daniel changed the subject quickly to divert Sam from her worries.  
  
"You do not know the palace?" asked Rollan. "You must come from very far away."  
  
"You... could say that," Daniel replied. "We come from earth."  
  
"Where is that?"  
  
"It is a different planet. We came through the Stargate."  
  
"Stargate?"  
  
"The huge gray ring."  
  
"Oh, I understand," Rollan said, not very convincing. "We must take a different path if you want to go back there." He stopped, waved his men to turn around and they walked back the way they had come. Jack rolled his eyes and let out a breath.   
  
"You can really go through the ring to another planet? If Lesh'Lakon finds out she could get the idea to try it herself."  
  
"I wouldn't recommend doing that," Jack said. "It could have bad consequences for her, especially if she tries to come to earth."  
  
"This has never kept her from doing something," said Rollan. "You should get home as soon as possible."   
  
Was there something like sympathy in his voice? Sam wasn't sure.  
  
"I won't stand in the way," Jack grumbled.  
  
"Does she do this often? I mean, sending people through the labyrinth?" Sam inquired.  
  
"Sometimes, when she feels like it. And everybody who works as a guard has to go through it."  
  
"And you put up with it?" Daniel couldn't understand it.  
  
Rollan just shrugged. Obviously he didn't see anything unusual with it. He took his position at the head of the group and the SG-team was taken in the middle as before.  
  
"Are you sure she isn't a Goa'uld, Carter?" Jack whispered to Sam.  
  
"Yes sir, but I know what you mean." Such a contempt for human beings was typical for a Goa'uld.  
  
*****  
  
All four of them, even Teal'c, had lost their bearings by now, and so they were a little surprised when the first guard opened a door again and they were suddenly standing in the Stargate room.   
  
Sam almost regretted it. She would have liked to ask the leader a few questions, after he finally became a little friendlier. They hadn't had the opportunity to explore the planet, not even a small part, and she hated to come home without any information. When she cast a glance at Daniel she noticed that he was feeling the same. He had recovered from his encounter with Lesh'Lakon enough to be interested in the wall paintings and writing, but the guards didn't answer any of his questions. The only one who was willing to talk to them at all was Rollan.   
  
Sam exchanged a glance with Daniel behind Jack's back.  
  
"Sir..."  
  
"Jack..." they both started to speak at the same time.  
  
Jack turned around to them, alarmed. His suspicion was confirmed when he saw the 'scientist look' in their eyes. Which meant, endless hours of research and techno babble could follow if the two weren't stopped in time.   
  
"That's out of the question! Whatever you have in mind, forget it!"  
  
"But Jack, we only need..."  
  
"Permission denied, Daniel, Carter. What I've seen of this planet is sufficient for me. We should see to it that we get home. What about our equipment?" This question was directed at Rollan.  
  
"You will get it. We have no use for it. If you can really go through this doorway to another planet, you should do so now. And do not try any stupid tricks."  
  
Rollan obviously wasn't so sure if he should believe their claim about traveling through the Stargate, but he left no doubt that the strangers wouldn't survive if they tried to use their weapons. At his sign, his men posted at the side of the gate and aimed their weapons at the team. Jack didn't have to be asked twice.  
  
"Daniel, dial us home."  
  
Jack was obviously angrier than Daniel had thought. He realized that he couldn't talk to him anymore, but he was still hesitating.   
  
"What? Are you waiting for someone?"  
  
Jack's piercing voice made Daniel think of Lesh'Lakon's face, and of the look in her eyes, and suddenly he had no longer the desire to stay here any longer. With a quick step he was at the DHD. The guards carrying their equipment laid it down next to Daniel, and doing so, one of them carelessly kicked away the bunch of flowers still lying on the floor in front of the door.   
  
"Why are the flowers here?" Sam asked Rollan while she was searching the backpacks for the GDO.   
  
"They are just from Mahal. She sometimes comes here to bring flowers," Rollan replied.  
  
"Why does she do this?"  
  
"Her husband died in the labyrinth and she obviously wants to remember him."  
  
Sam was shocked by the emotional frigidity in Rollan's voice. Maybe her CO was right and they shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary. And, although he didn't say it, he still needed medical attention. And it was her fault. She couldn't think of how she was going to explain this to General Hammond.   
  
Daniel pressed the symbols and Sam stood beside him with the transmitter, ready to send the signal. They picked up their gear, and as the wormhole was stabilized with a whoosh, Jack cast a last glance around.  
  
"I'm missing a big sign here saying 'Enter at your own risk'."  
  
He wasn't regretting at all to leave this unwelcoming planet.  
  
Daniel was, but just because he would have liked to study the writings and wall paintings. Before he stepped into the shimmering blue, he whispered to Sam, "At least we are bringing home a sample of the species 'slimy monster'."  
  
"Daniel!"  
  
As Jack and Teal'c were stepping through the event horizon, the door opened and Lesh'Lakon entered the Stargate room.  


  
**-- The End --**


End file.
